Transnight - The big rip 2/5
Reviewed: 4-1-13
Tracklist:
1. From the inside torn apart
2. Transylvanian night
3. Project Satan
4. Playing chess
5. Back in the house again
6. Welcome to euphoristan
7. The running man
8. All the good things end
9. The big rip
10. Black tranquility
11. When the gods of metal die
12. Destroyer
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Germany's wraith child Transnight are about to release their sophomore effort 'The big rip'. Their previous CD 'The dark half' was released on Pure Underground Records. This time they are doing it themselves. I just wish they would have put more effort into making a better CD. C'mon guys, you should use your time more wisely, and at least invest in better production values.
Honestly, I do not know how to describe their brand of power thrash doom. They are heavy, but not with a modern hardcore groove. I would compare them to how Halloween now sound, with a hint of early Savatage. The 3 Roth brothers all work well together with Dave attempting to do vocals. Dave attenuates a bit of a high register, but by no means is it staccato. He does not have a whole lot of range, either.
Most of the songs are average at best, and few really stand out. None of the songs are particularly fast, but "Transylvanian night" does have some aggression to it. Lyrically, I'm not overwhelmed with any really well thought out transcriptions. There is narration on "Playing chess", punctuated by a strong bass line. This does not however make the song any better, or more engrossing.
On their debut the opening track was called "Devils don't wear plaid". Now they have the ambiguously evil "Project Satan", but here the system breaks down with many mistakes of human nature, and this is barely a bleak tranquillity or journey to the dark side of the lunatic mind.
"Back in the house again" begins with a child's taunting. It appears that she is playing tag before she screams in terror. This soul of decay, fear made flesh ghost story should be more haunting and threatening, but I do not find myself provoked in the least, even with Dave's menacing laugh. It is similar to what they strove to create with "Ghost story". However, Jeff Waters and Annihilator do a far better job when they cast Crystal Ann and Alice in Hell.
"Welcome to euphoristan" has a real Megadeth "Sweating bullets" tinge to it, but the muddy production drowns out the guitars. I find this pill hard to swallow, and I seldom feel like I'm in a state of euphoria, as the solos are simple and acerose, and not too involved. "The running man" simply stalls and holds very little of my interest.
The title track is one of the better big riffs, but the drums are drowned out, and even if struggling to be pounding and relentless, they are poorly mixed. Again Dave's vocal intonations do not express the message well enough. I'm torn to relay this excoriation, but it is if Transnight find themselves aboard a sinking censorship. Pehaps it is making me too sick to rip this apart from the inside, but I'm sure the band would just respond with, "Bite my metal ass!" That song, as well does not pack the punch it infers. I will at least give applause for the gothic string arrangements and dissonance of violin which allow for a hint of Believer.
All good things come to an end, but "When the gods of metal die" is no Manowar or Majesty anthem. In fact, this song is so weak, that the Twilight Metal Gods of Thunder would die after hearing this, were they not immortal! The banal bleak Sabbathy riff, and lack of willinglness to keep it true make this exclusive bonus track not all that worthy of steel.
Thankfully, the other digipak bonus track is an attempt to cover "Destroyer" by Twisted Sister. Again, this is ill conceived, and not as moving as Hail of Bullets' rendition. I make no apology for my censure of this crap, because the band spent their own money to send me a CD-R with cool black digipak packaging and lyrics. I guess I had hoped for more. Thank you Transnight for allowing me to experience your dark half-ass attempt at a metal CD. After all, you got to do what you got to do!
MICHAEL
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